Warriors praise Butler after 1st game with Golden State: ‘He’s a lion’
“It’s pretty fun having Jimmy on our team. He’s an amazing player,” head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the Warriors’ 132-111 win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
“The ability to get fouled, it just settles the game for us at key times. But I’m most impressed with his passing,” Kerr continued. “I just think his passing changes everything. It connects the game, and he does it from anywhere.”
Butler tallied 25 points, two rebounds, and four assists in his first game with Golden State after being acquired from the Miami Heat last week. His 25-point outing is the most in a Warriors debut since Kevin Durant in 2016. Butler also set a franchise record with 11 made free throws, the most ever by a player in their first contest with the club.
“The skill, the strength, and the ability to get to the free-throw line. In the end, he goes beyond that,” Kerr said. “He’s a lion out there.”
Golden State trailed by as many as 24 points but went on a 56-15 run in the second half to secure the victory.
“(Butler) is like the exact opposite player of me. I took 16 threes and he shot one,” Steph Curry said postgame, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “He got to the free-throw line a lot, dominated the paint. I dominate the perimeter. It has the potential to be really fun.”
Butler echoed Curry’s sentiment. “Opposites attract in a lot of ways in life. I don’t think I could be a better complement to him, and vice versa, in the sense that (opponents aren’t) leaving him ever,” he said, courtesy of Slater. “I get the easy job.”
While Kerr and Curry praised Butler’s ability, forward Draymond Green called his new teammate’s mentality and experience his defining traits. He said Butler increased the Warriors’ “swagger” and added to the group’s “championship pedigree,” according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Butler led the Heat to two NBA Finals during his time in Miami, losing to the Los Angeles and Denver Nuggets in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
The 35-year-old’s exit from South Beach wasn’t harmonious: Butler was suspended by the team on three separate occasions in January. After requesting a trade during a one-on-one meeting with Heat president Pat Riley, he was shipped to Golden State for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, and a protected first-round selection.
Butler reportedly declined his 2025-26 player option to sign a two-year, $121-million extension shortly after being acquired by the Warriors.
Golden State is 10th in the West with a 26-26 record.
